THE language of wine, and the skill of wine service, will be made clear over the next five weeks. The Bermuda College Hospitality Division is offering a wine certification course, steering participants to the achievement of associate wine steward.

With the resurgence in the popularity of wine, the knowledge afforded through such a programme should be considered vital to industry professionals, course instructor Irving Raynor believes.

"I think wine is more popular now than in the past," he said. "Wine sales are going through the roof. People are becoming more aware of, and have a better knowledge of wine, which is why it's important to have a knowledgeable person in the restaurant.

"Years ago, we had wine stewards throughout the major dining rooms of Bermuda ? people who sold wines, knew about wines, and pushed their sale. If they didn't sell the wines, they didn't make any money. They worked completely on a commission basis.

"Wine stewards were then eliminated in keeping with the trend world-wide, but with the growing popularity of wines again, this profession is now on the rise. Today, because wine is once again so popular throughout the world, (the trades of) sommelier and wine steward are coming back. This course is the perfect start to the study of wine. It offers everything a waiter needs to know about the essentials of wine and wine service."

The Certified Associate Wine Steward course is the first step into the world of wine certification. Set by the Federation of Dining Room Professionals, it is accredited by one of the most prestigious organisations for the study of wine ? the International Sommelier Guild.

"The aim of the Federation is to raise the standard of service and hospitality because (it) is the weakest link in the hospitality industry," explained the organisation's president, founder and administrator, Bernard Martinge.

"There are very few programmes where people are professionally trained to handle customers in the dining room."

the dining room experience is equally as responsible as a restaurant's food, for a restaurant's success or failure, Mr. Martinge said the Federation's courses were aimed at developing a sense of pride in the profession and establishing a service standard.

"In most countries, waiters are looked down on. Theirs isn't considered a real career path," he said. "We work to attract a new breed of professional hosts who look at (being a waiter) as a career path.

"We standardise performance. It allows employees to go from one place of work to the next, and customers from one restaurant to the next, and receive the same standard of service. And with the wine certification course, it means customers can dine in restaurants and know that their waiter will know how to serve wine; will know how to properly open wine and will have some knowledge of wine.

"It removes the embarrassment where waiters are looking for words to describe a wine to a customer; where they give descriptions which are not accurate and because of that, the product is returned.

"Customers spend more money when they are dealing with someone who can accurately describe a product. If they use the right terms and the proper technique, the customer thinks of them as a professional and are more likely to heed their advice; to buy the more expensive selection."

Barbara O'Shaughnessy, chair of the Hospitality Division of the Bermuda College, agreed with the sentiments expressed by Mr. Martinge.

"Knowing more about wine can help the server enhance a dinner through a wine suggestion," she said. "This course is ideal for food waiters who also must sell and serve wine.

"Wine can add to the bottom line of a restaurant . . . and to the average cheque of the waiter."

Students must sit a written test set by the Federation of Dining Room Professionals, and a practical test set by Mr. Raynor. Certification is received only with a pass from both.

"The course is designed for individuals who want to study wine and know more about the essentials of wine service," Mr. Raynor explained. "Students learn the basics of wine making, the most common grapes, common terminology and guidelines to apply during food and wine pairing.

"I think we have a really good selection of wine here. Bristol Cellar, Gosling's, Burrows & Lightbourn and a lot of the restaurants have great wine lists. But you can take ten different Merlots and ten people.

"They might all like a different one. So one of the things I teach students is that they should try and get an idea of the customer's taste. As they come into the restaurant, ask what they normally drink and suggest something similar. If they say their favourite wine is a Beaujolais, for example, and it's not on the wine list, I'd know to suggest a lighter red wine."

worked in restaurants as a wine steward and with 40 years in the hospitality business behind him, Mr. Raynor explained that a certified wine steward is in a different world of accomplishment to a waiter who knows wine.

"There is a difference. A wine steward has spent more time studying wine. Because he's not tending to their food, he can spend more time talking with the customer; discovering their likes and dislikes. Wines change as trends change. The trend in wine over the last few years has been for Merlot, for Chardonnay, for Pinot Grigio; years ago, people were drinking Beaujolais, Chablis. Today we have Shiraz.

"Companies really have an ear to the ground as to what people drink.They spend tons of money on research and getting the word out to the public. In this programme we have tastings of ten or 12 different varieties of wine, both New and Old World, from different countries; from Italy, France, Germany, Chile, America, Australia."

Even in the ever-changing wine world, there are traditions which remain constant.

"As far as pairing wines, there's still a lot of the traditional; white with fish, red with meat. But what companies have done, because they realise (everyone doesn't like red; everyone doesn't like white) is blend whites so (diners) can feel comfortable having that with steak; they have reds that will complement fish. Pairing is very important. Italian wines, for example, are perfect accompaniments to Italian food."

A course like the one now being offered is always useful as, unlike many university programmes, it demands that students have practical experience as well.

"We do believe certification takes the elevation of an individual beyond the academic world," Mr. Martinge said. "I know someone who was in school until she was 34 years old. She received a doctorate in hospitality management, but she never worked in a restaurant.

"It means she was smart, but if you put her on the floor of a restaurant, she would be dead meat. She wouldn't even qualify for our lowest professional certification because she had no experience at all.

"Consider a restaurant in the business sense; how you want the customer to feel when he walks out. There's no room for playing around. Because of that, we think our certification courses are extremely valuable."

Students who have taken the course agree.

Said Pavala Kaudelkova: "Taking the wine steward course with Mr. Raynor was very interesting and I enjoyed it very much. I would recommend it to everyone who would like to know more about wines and wine service. I will use this course as a start in my future career as a sommelier."

Jonathan Richardson: "I would suggest that all young people consider the hospitality industry. Through the Associate Wine Steward course, I have not only learned about the types of wines and growing regions; I know the proper procedures for serving wine."

While essential to those in the hospitality industry, the course could be taken by anyone with an interest, Mr. Raynor said.

"I also teach a bartenders' course. We get a lot of people come along simply because they're interested in learning how to make drinks. What I say to them is, I just hope that they get interested enough to become bartenders. It's the same with this course. And as far as waiters go, the more they know the better income for them. It comes down to that."

The Certified Associate Wine Steward course starts on January 26 and runs every Monday between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. For more information, please contact Ms O'Shaughnessy at 239-4045 or Mr. Raynor at 534-8018.